Those stories are great too, Braling II. Poe did black humor very well; he had a talent for getting back at people he was angry at through his stories. And unfortunately, he made a lot of enemies in his life.
Another funny Bradbury tale is "Colonel Stonesteel's Genuine Homemade Truly Egyptian Mummy"! "Another Fine Mess" also comes to mind, along with all of Ray's Laurel and Hardy tales.

I find Bradbury's stories too serious, on a very fundamental level, to be funny. There is always this mood in a Bradbury story, especially his very early stories, that gives reader a sense that he is experiencing a moment of genuine intuition and insight. No humor there.

I found The Illustrated Woman as a serious piece. And yet a genuine Bradbury-classic. Yet, others found it funny.
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If you think Bradbury isn't funny, try Thomas Wolfe. Yet even certain places in his books gave me a few laughs. Even his brother Fred said "Look Homeward, Angel" was good for many a good laugh.

You get the feeling Fred was a particularly jolly person.

"The Parrot Who Met Papa" is, at least to me, the funniest story Ray ever wrote. And it's made even more humorous when you realize that one of it's most most important characters is modeled after a not-so-subtly disguised Truman Capote. I can almost hear that character now saying, "Raymundo!"

Incidentally, Ray tells that his classic story, "Homecoming", appeared in Mademoiselle Magazine in 1946 after being rescued off the slush pile by none other than Mr. Capote in one of his earlier jobs.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Richard,

For the senior reader of the male persuation I would recommend "Junior", a bit of humor and told with a sensitivity that is rarely found in literature or any media today. It parallels the beautiful way in which the torch was passed from one generation to the next in "Farwell Summer" in the last chapter. Such truth and sensitivity is so lacking today. Bravo to Ray for having such a gift.

Another good Poe is "the Manticore." Which I thought was a little funny.

Nico, Mr. Poe's funny stories came up before. My favourites are "The Spectacles", "Some Words With A Mummy", "The Man Wo Was Used Up", and "The 2002nd Tale of Scheherezade".

I recall Bradbury's "One For His Lordship" (based on an old joke) and "Interval In Sunlight" as being quite humourous.

quote:

Originally posted by Braling II:
Nico, Mr. Poe's funny stories came up before. My favourites are "The Spectacles", "Some Words With A Mummy", "The Man Wo Was Used Up", and "The 2002nd Tale of Scheherezade".

I recall Bradbury's "One For His Lordship" (based on an old joke) and "Interval In Sunlight" as being quite humourous.

yes, I didn't realize it was a three page topic and was referring to page 1.

I have found Mr. B's sense of humor quite entertaining throughout the books: Green Shadows, White Whale; Death is a Lonely Business; A Graveyard for Lunatics; and Let's All Kill Constance.

The dialogues, banterings, arrival of bizarre characters and situations, each have inspired audible guffaws. Again, just another example of the man's highly effective writing skills in numerous formats.

All of the ss mentioned previously are great, also. It's just that the mystery novel genre allowed for his development and return to settings and characters. Then he sneaks in his classic allusions and name drops that so often need a cross-reference for full appreciation. Yes!?

Not only that, but he's mighty funny in person, too.

Saturday last, as he took the stage, what opening words did he have for the crowded house?

"I suppose you're all wondering why I've called you here!"

As I noted in a rather ancient (fourteen years ago!) post above, I have always thought "The Parrot Who Met Papa" is the funniest story written by Ray Bradbury. I still remember laughing out loud while reading it. I mentioned this to Ray once, and he told me that the story was inspired by the publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel, THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, back in 1952. When Hemingway's book was originally published, it not only appeared as a hardcover book, but was also published in Life Magazine. Ray told me that he and a group of his friends waited outside the facility in Los Angeles where that issue of Life Magazine which contained the story was being printed, and purchased copies as they were being readied for distribution and shipment. Ray told me that after reading the story, he jotted down some words related to Hemingway and his novel on a piece of paper, which he tucked away for possible future story ideas. He told me that years later, he was looking through such pieces of paper, when he came across the paper on which had jotted down words relating to THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA back in 1952. And that seeing that paper again triggered his writing of "The Parrot Who Met Papa".

I was fortunate enough to acquire the actual typewritten manuscript of "The Parrot Who Met Papa" that was submitted to Playboy Magazine, and which was published in its January, 1972 issue. (Hey, I only read the magazine for the articles!) Ray was kind enough to sign the title page of that manuscript for me, and to also include an inscription which reflected back to that day when he first read THE OLD MAN IN THE SEA in Life Magazine. To see what he wrote, just click on the link below:

IMG_0455.jpg (20 Kb, 60 downloads)

I agree that "The Parrot Who Met Papa" is one of Bradbury's funniest stories. I'm not sure which one I think is his all-time funniest story, but another one I found very funny is "The Troll" from William Nolan's tribute anthology THE BRADBURY CHRONICLES (1991). I thought the dialogue between the troll and the psychiatrist who thinks he's just a paranoid guy with a mental disorder that can be treated was hilarious. I always wondered why Ray never included this story in one of his later collections (I would have).

Immediately after I posted the message above I thought of "The Dragon Danced at Midnight" as another Bradbury story I thought was very funny. Of course there are several others that have already been mentioned in this thread.

For me, "The Anthem Sprinters" is the funniest one I can think of. Silver goes to "The Earth Men" and bronze to "That Old Dog Lying in the Dust".